It took a while but Paris Saint-Germain have come to life this summer after the confirmation of Luis Enrique's arrival as head coach after replacing Christophe Galtier. Moves for Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Lee Kang-In and Cher Ndour were lined up before the Spanish tactician was unveiled.
The signings of Lucas Hernandez and Xavi Simons have since followed with the Netherlands international allowed to follow El Chadaille Bitshiabu to RB Leipzig on loan. Luis Enrique has a new-look squad compared with the one predecessor Galtier had with Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos notable departures since last season.
However, Neymar remains at Parc des Princes despite the French champions' desire to move on from the Brazilian superstar while Kylian Mbappe is reluctant to pledge his future to PSG and is reportedly up for sale. So, is this Parisien squad better than the one which failed spectacularly last campaign and barely got a historic 11th French title over the line after UEFA Champions League and Coupe de France failure?
Here's what to know about the new additions:
Manuel Ugarte
PSG's biggest summer expenditure so far at around $67 million is Ugarte who arrives from Sporting CP as the latest example of sporting advisor Luis Campos looking to his native Portugal for the best business. The Uruguay international midfielder will be a new option in the middle as Luis Enrique works out whether he wants to continue with the 3-4-3 system that Galtier tried to implement or stick with his preferred possession-based 4-3-3 style. Ugarte, on paper, is an all-action defensive midfielder which should give the position the sort of bite that it has been missing for some time alongside Marco Verratti's technical mastery. Much will depend upon them being a pairing or part of a trio, but Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz are interesting additional pieces to have around them.
Lee Kang-In
Arguably one of PSG's most intriguing summer moves is that of Lee coming in from Real Mallorca for around $25 million. The South Korea international brings attacking versatility across most of the major roles despite spending more time out wide in Spain and his goals and assists contributions are fairly evenly spread. However, Mallorca to a PSG side desperate for Champions League success is a big jump and this does not necessarily look like a move made with a starting XI role immediately in mind. Campos already gambled on backup figures for the likes of Neymar and Messi last season which failed miserably with Carlos Soler and Renato Sanches two of the least impressive summer 2022 arrivals. Lee is younger at 22 so could be one for the future, but it is a less obvious fit than Ugarte and Hernandez at first glance.
Milan Skriniar
A longtime target of Campos' since his arrival in Paris, Skriniar has joined from Inter on a free transfer and his addition arguably makes more sense than Hernandez's for such a hefty fee. Despite his recent injury issues, the Slovakia international remains a strong central defensive option who has not yet hit 30 and he was a leadership figure for the Nerazzurri before his relationship with the Italian giants soured. Assuming that his back issues are behind him, Skriniar could become a new cornerstone for this PSG defense under Luis Enrique and it will be interesting to see if he quickly becomes a voice of authority in a dressing room badly in need a no-nonsense approach and some discipline.
Lucas Hernandez
Coming in at around $50 million from Bayern Munich, Lucas Hernandez is another significant acquisition who arrives at Parc des Princes off the back of a lengthy injury lay-off after going down just 13 minutes into France's FIFA 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar. A world champion with Les Bleus back in 2018 and still only 27, the Marseille-born defender's versatility will be useful -- especially if Luis Enrique switches between three and four-man backlines. However, the big question is whether or not he will be the same player post-injury and the fact that Bayern allowed him to leave suggests that PSG have taken a sizeable risk. Factoring in Presnel Kimpembe's long-term injury recovery and Milan Skriniar's recent issues, there is the potential for Les Parisiens to have a few fitness headaches despite healthy-looking depth on paper.
Marco Asensio
Another free addition this summer has been that of Marco Asensio who arrives from Real Madrid after nine years at Santiago Bernabeu. Like Lee, the Spain international has a versatile profile although he has spent more time out wide which suggests that both have been acquired to address the major lack of width since Angel Di Maria's departure. At 27, Asensio should have plenty left in the tank but the issue has never really been whether or not he has the potential to be a top performer. It has always been a lack of consistency rather than technical skill that has let the Spaniard down in terms of truly establishing himself as a top player but Luis Enrique knowing him well from their time together with La Roja should bode well. Coming in on a free lessens the risk factor on PSG's side, but he was out of contract in Madrid because he was frustrated at being good but not quite good enough to regularly crack the XI there.
Xavi Simons
Returning for around $6 million after one season away with PSV Eindhoven is attacking talent Xavi Simons who will not feature immediately as he has been loaned out to RB Leipzig for the 2023-24 campaign. Given his impressive breakout term in the Eredivisie with a joint-best 19 goals and eight assists, it is little surprise that PSG actioned their option to bring him back. However, Simons' future role will depend upon what happens with Neymar and Mbappe over the next 12 months with at least one of the two expected to move on. Should the 20-year-old catch fire in the Bundesliga, then he will be ready to play an important role in Paris from next summer.
Cher Ndour
Arguably the biggest unknown of PSG's window so far is Cher Ndour who arrives from Benfica on a free transfer and has just won the UEFA under-19 Euro title with Italy. A midfielder by trade who has impressed at youth level, it will be interesting to see if he gets loaned out or develops quickly enough to be trusted with a senior squad role to continue his development.
